Antenna pole clamp



April 5, 1955 J. o. BlTz ET'AL 2,705,603

ANTENNA POLE CLAMP Filed June 9, 1953 United States Patent O ANTENNA POLE CLAMP John 0. Bitz, West Reading, and Stanley G. Seitz, Reading, Pa.

Application June 9, 1953, Serial No. 360,452

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-43) It is often necessary that an auxiliary antenna mast be connected to a main antenna mast, one instance of this type of situation being found in cases in which a U. H. F. antenna is to be mounted upon a previously installed V. H. F. antenna.

The situation often arises, in this regard, wherein a V. H. F. antenna installation includes a main mast ascending to a substantial height, thereby making it diicult for the installer of the U. H. F. antenna to mount the U. H. F. antenna mast upon the upper end of the main or V. H. F. mast. Obviously, the complete dismantling of the original antenna installation is undesirable, and the need therefore arises for a type of connecting means specially adapted for connecting the auxiliary mast to the main mast, which connecting means can be controllable from a location remote from the point at which the connection is to be made.

In view of the above, it is the main object of the present invention to provide a clamping device mountable upon an auxiliary antenna mast such as a relatively short U. H. F. mast that is to be mounted upon the upper end of a main mast, such as an already installed V. H. F. mast, which connecting means will include a pair of jaws normally locked in an open position, but releasable from a location remote from the jaws, to free the jaws for movement under spring pressure into gripping engagement with the upper end of the main mast.

Another object of importance is to provide a connecting or clamping device as stated, which will be so designed as to insure that the auxiliary and main masts will be securely connected against relative movement for an indefinite period of time.

Yet another object is to provide a device as stated which will be positive in action, and readily controllable from a location disposed a substantial distance away from that at which the masts or poles are to be connected, with the possibility of faulty operation being reduced to a minimum.

Anotherpbject is to provide a device as stated which will permit an auxiliary mast to be connected to a main mast with measurably increased speed and ease, as compared to the rather substantial difficulty and loss of time now involved in making antenna installations of this type.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a pair of masts to be connected, the clamping device constituting the present invention being illustrated in perspective, as it appears when released for gripping engagement with the main mast;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view on line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in which the auxiliary mast has been shown in cross section, the clamping device constituting the present invention being illustrated in top plan with its movable jaw locked in an open position; and

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the clamping device with the movable jaw locked in open position, an auxiliary pole on which the clamping device is mounted being illustrated in side elevation, part of said auxiliary pole being broken away.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference numerals 10, 12, and 14 have been generally applied to an auxiliary or U. H. F. mast, a main or V. H. F. mast, and the clamping device, respectively. Ordinarily, the main 2,705,603 Patented Apr. 5, 1955 mast 12 would extend to a substantial height above the roof of a building or other supporting structure, this being particularly true in fringe areas in which antenna installations of substantial height may be required. The auxiliary mast 10, which would support a U. H. F. antenna, not shown, would include a relatively short pole, adapted to be secured to the upper end of the main mast 12. Ordinarily, this would present a problem, since it would usually be a requirement that the main mast be taken down, for connection of the U. H. F. or auxiliary mast thereto, after which the main mast is hoisted to its previous position once again.

In accordance with the present invention, before the auxiliary mast 10 is lifted to the upper end of the main mast, the clamping device 14 is applied thereto, said clamping device including spaced U-clamp members 16 receiving the auxiliary mast. The U-clamp members 16 have their legs threaded as at 18, and extending between said legs, and loosely mounted upon the legs, are cross bars 20 of channeled cross section, said cross bars having arcuate recesses 22 receiving the auxiliary mast 10 as best shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Nuts are threaded on the legs of the respective clamp members 16, against the opposite ends of the cross bars 20, thus to urge the cross bars in the direction of the bight portions of the clamp members. As a result, the clamp members are xedly secured to the auxiliary mast 10, at a selected location along the length of said auxiliary mast.

Welded or otherwise rigidly secured :to the bight portions of the respective clamp members 16 are lugs 24 projecting radially and outwardly from the auxiliary mast 10. The lugs 24, at their outer ends, are rigid with coaxial hinge sleeves 26, said hinge sleeves 26 being spaced outwardly from the auxiliary mast as best shown in Figure l.

A stationary jaw 28 is of substantial length and is of arcuate cross section, for engaging one side of the main mast 12. Stationary jaw 28 is rigid at its opposite ends with the hinge sleeves 26, the stationary jaw thus being fixedly mounted upon the auxiliary mast. A liner 30 of sponge rubber or similar material, used for promoting a stronger grip of the stationary jaw 28 upon the main mast, covers the inner surface of the stationary jaw, throughout the area of said jaw.

Hinge sleeves 32 are aligned coaxially with the hinge sleeves 26, and are abutted thereagainst, inwardly of the hinge sleeves 26. The sleeves 32 are rigid with a movable jaw 34 the length of which equals that of the stationary jaw. The movable jaw 34 is transversely curved throughout its length for engaging the opposite side of the main mast 12, the/.jaws 28 and 34 being each extended through one-hundred eighty degrees of a circle when viewed in cross section. A liner 36 of sponge rubber or the like covers the entire area of the inner surface of the movable jaw, to insure a good grip upon the main mast 12.

A hinge pin 38 is extended in parallelism with the masts 10, 12, through the hinge sleeves 26, 32, thus to hingedly mount the movable jaw upon the stationary jaw, for movement toward and away from the stationary jaw. The movable jaw, when shifted toward the stationary jaw (see Figure 2) is adapted to cooperate with the stationary jaw in gripping the main mast. When, however, the movable jaw is swung about its hinge axis in a direction away from the stationary jaw, it may be considered as being in an open position, thereby to permit application of the clamping device to the main mast preliminary to locking of the jaws about the main mast.

We provide means tending to normally bias the relatively spreadable jaws toward a closed position. To this end, a coil spring 40 is circumposed about the hinge pin 38, between the sleeves 32, the opposite ends of said spring 4t) being extended in opposite directions, and engaging against the outer surfaces of the stationary and movable jaws respectively (see Figure 2). The spring 40 is so tensioned as to normally exert tension upon the movable jaw, for the purpose of biasing the movable jaw to a closed position.

Means is also incorporated in the clamping device, adapted to releasably lock the movable jaw in an open position shown in Figure 3 and in Figure 4. The means 3 v for locking the movable jaw in an open position constitutes an nterengaging means and includes laterally projected ears 42, 44 rigid with the movable jaw and with one of the clamp members 16. The ear 42 secured to the outer surface of the movable jaw can be of inverted L-shape as shown, with the outwardly projected portion of the ear 42 having a single aperture. The ear 44 can be of U-shape, with its bight xedly secured to the associated clamp member 16, the legs of the ear 44 being adapted to receive between them the apertured portion of ear 42, said legs being apertured in the same manner as the ear 42. When the movable jaw is swung away from the stationary jaw to the position shown in Figures 3 and 4, the apertures of the ears 42, 44 are brought into register, to permit extension of a locking element or key 46 therethrough. Key 46 can be formed as a straight pin pointed at one end to facilitate insertion of the key through the registering apertures, with the other end of said pin having an eye 48 to which is loosely and pivotally connected an eye formed upon one end of an elongated operating element 50. The operating element 50 can be formed from a length of wire material of a iiexible nature, and it will be understood that the operating element could be guided through eyes, not shown, on a raising tool, also not shown, used for elevating the auxiliary mast to the upper end of the main mast, preliminary to connection of the auxiliary mast to said main mast.

In use of the invention, the auxiliary mast would first be assembled with the clamping device 14, and the movable jaw 34 would be releasably locked in an open position by engagement of the key 46 in the registering apertures of ears 42, 44. The raising tool mentioned above is then used, for lifting the auxiliary mast to the upper end of the main mast. When the auxiliary mast has been properly positioned in side by side relation to the upper end portion of the main mast, with the main mast disposed between the open jaws 28, 34, the operating element 50 is pulled, thus to cause the key 46 to be withdrawn. As a result, the spring 40 is allowed to exert its force against the movable jaw, instantaneously biasing the movable jaw in the direction of the stationary jaw, thus to close the jaws about the main mast.

Obviously, a plurality of the clamping devices can be used, spaced longitudinally of the main and auxiliary masts, if desired.

Also, it is believed worthy of note that although the clamping device has been shown in association with a previously installed V. H. F. mast and a U. H. F. mast to be attached to the V. H. F. mast, the clamping device could also be used for connecting any rod-like member to another rod-like member, in laterally spaced relation to said other rod-like member, from a location remote from that at which the connection is to be effected.

The construction illustrated and described, it is believed, permits an auxiliary mast installation to be made with minimum loss of time, and with little difliculty. Obviously, the V. H. F. mast need not be taken down, nor is it necessary that the installer endanger himself by climbing to a high location above the roof of the mastsupporting structure. One need only connect the clamping device to the auxiliary mast, and thereafter utilize an elongated raising tool to lift the auxiliary mast to the upper end of the main mast. Pulling of the key then completes the installation.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What s claimed is:

1. A remotely controlled clamping device for attaching an auxiliary antenna mast to a main antenna mast, comprising: a stationary jaw proportioned to engage one side of a main mast; means rigid with the stationary jaw for lixedly connecting the same to an auxiliary mast; a movable jaw proportioned for engaging the opposite side of said main mast and hingedly connected to said means for movement toward and away from the stationary jaw; resilient, yielding means tensioned to bias the movable jaw toward the stationary jaw, to close the jaws about the main mast; interengaging means on said movable jaw and said first named means, a locking element engaging said interengaging means for locking the movable jaw against movement toward the stationary jaw during application of the jaws to a main mast; and means operable from a location remote from said jaws for unlocking the movable jaw to free the same for movement toward the stationary jaw, thus to close the jaws about the main mast.

2. A remotely controlled clamping device for attaching an auxiliary antenna mast to a main antenna mast, comprising: a stationary jaw proportioned to engage one side of a main mast; means rigid with the stationary jaw for xedly connecting the same to an auxiliary mast; a movable jaw proportioned for engaging the opposite side of said main mast and hingedly connected to said means for movement toward and away from the stationary jaw; resilient, yielding means tensioned to bias the movable jaw toward the stationary jaw, to close the jaws about the main mast; ears on the movable jaw and first-named means having apertures registering in the open position of the movable jaw; akey releasably engaged in said apertures, for locking the movable jaw against movement toward the stationary jaw during application of the jaws to a main mast; and means operable from a location remote from said jaws for withdrawing the key from the apertures, thus to unlock the movable jaw and free the same for movement toward the stationary jaw, into gripping engagement with the main mast.

3. A remotely controlled clamping device for attaching an auxiliary antenna mast to a main antenna mast, comprising: a stationary jaw proportioned to engage one side of a main mast; means rigid with the stationary jaw for xedly connecting the same to an auxiliary mast; a movable jaw proportioned for engaging the opposite side of said main mast and hingedly connected to said means for movement toward and away from the stationary jaw; resilient, yielding means tensioned to bias the movable jaw toward the stationary jaw, to close the jaws about the main mast; ears on the movable jaw and first-named means having apertures registering in the open position of the movable jaw; a key releasably engaged in said apertures, for locking the movable jaw against movement toward the stationary jaw during application of the jaws to a main mast; and an elongated, operating element connected at one end to the key and extending to a location remote from the key, said element being shiftable by a user to withdraw the key from the apertures, thus to unlock the movable jaw and free the same for movement toward the stationary jaw, into gripping engagement with the main mast.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 694,888 Pfuger Mar. 4, 1902 1,636,771 Glaberman July 26, 1927 1,982,482 Rhodes Nov. 27, 1934 2,577,469 Kumpf Dec. 4, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,211 Great Britain Feb. 20, 1909 

